He started his career as a designer under the fashion houses of Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy and John Galliano and later went on to become one of the most sought after names in the Indian industry before taking a five-year long hiatus. Designer Prashant Verma says that he was exhausted and hence took the break to find himself and get trained as an actor too.
"I went up to train myself as an actor, I went up to find myself and that's really what it was. I feel that whatever you do or pursue in life, you learn some new things about yourself and that was the most important thing that happened in last five years for me and I feel that it was needed," Verma told IANS.
"I clearly remember telling someone at my last show that I feel that I am exhausted. There were so many thought going inside my mind. I felt that I was not free and there was this constant urge to move out," he added
He returned on the fashion runway with Amazon India Fashion Week spring-summer 2016 where his show was one of the impactful ones in terms of presentation and story. More than his designs, it was the designer's final walk as an old man with prosthetic make-up that impressed everyone in the Main Show Area.
Verma says that the idea behind this story is to tell people that "let's stop caring about what other will think".
"The wonderful thing that happened to me is that I have stopped caring about people's perception and judgment. Everyone battles in their journey and I fail to believe when somebody say that they don't understand that how does it feel to be left out because everybody has faced this in some pint of life.
"When I moved in acting , the first thing that came in mind is that audience never comes in theatre to see the actor, they come to see themselves so the object of any performance is that there is no good or bad and only truth. If you are faking it or lying then it will affect," he said.
A graduate of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi, he set up his eponymous label in 2006. In 2010, he was noted as amongst The Best New Designers in Indian Fashion and amongst The Top 25 Eminent Men of India. In 2011, his collections were presented at the "Alchemy Festival", London as part of the British Council Worldwide Initiative.
So ask them that now he is back on the fashion runway, how have things changed and he says that his outlook has changed and not the industry.
"I am ready to receive lot of positive energy. People are still the same but today I just let it go and see good things. I do not focus on negativity and rather focus on things that make me enjoy life," he said.
It's not just designing , he is also training himself as an actor and is ready to try that field too.
"I am auditioning for stuff and training under practising actors right now so hoping that something comes out well. I am open for both theatre and film and also TV but yes it is decided that i would like to do acting first followed by direction someday," said the 30-year-old.
(Nivedita can be contacted at Nivedita.s@ians.in)
